Russia bombed a military base in Ukraine in a new wave of strikes

KIEV (Reuters) – Russia said on Monday its military had bombed Ukrainian air bases in overnight strikes and Ukrainian forces pounded industrial facilities inside Russia, as both sides sought to seize control of what Kiev hopes will be a decisive counter-attack.

In a rare acknowledgment of damage to a military “target”, Ukraine said work was underway to restore a runway and that five planes had been decommissioned in the western district of Khmelnytskyi, though it did not name the locations.

A military airport was established in the area before the war.

“At the moment, work continues to contain fires at fuel, oil and ammunition storage facilities,” said the Khmelnytsky region governor’s office.

The state-owned Russian Information Agency quoted the Defense Ministry as saying that more than one air base had been bombed. There was no immediate confirmation from Ukraine of the damage to the other air bases.

The Ukrainian capital was attacked for the 16th time this month, after a second consecutive night of bombing. But the officials said that most of the drones and missiles launched at night were shot down and did not hit any targets in the morning.

The attacks, which prompted Kyiv residents to take refuge in metro stations, were part of a new wave of Russian airstrikes this month as Ukraine, armed with new Western weaponry, prepares to try to retake territory captured by Russia in a “special military operation” launched in February 2022.

“With these constant attacks, the enemy seeks to keep the civilian population in a state of deep psychological tension,” said Serhiy Popko, the head of the city’s military administration.

The governor of the region, Pavlo Kirilenko, said two people were killed and eight wounded in a Russian attack on the Ukrainian city of Toritsk in the eastern Donetsk region on Monday.

Wagner’s forces were replaced by Bakhmut

Serhiy Chervaty, spokesman for the Eastern Group of Ukrainian Forces, told Ukrainian television that three military clashes took place in his area in the past 24 hours.

“However, the enemy kept its fire on our positions. During the past twenty-four hours, 373 shells of various types fell, and six air strikes hit our positions,” he added.

Chervaty said that Ukrainian forces returned fire, killing 155 enemy soldiers and wounding 116.

Reuters could not confirm accounts of the battlefield.

Cherevatyi also said that Wagner mercenary units in the besieged eastern city of Bakhmut had been replaced by Russian paratroopers and mechanized units.

Russia’s Wagner private army began handing over positions to regular forces this week after declaring full control of Bakhmut following the war’s longest and bloodiest battle.

He said that the Ukrainian army is carrying out “reorganization and other military movements … so that further movement can be more successful in terms of striking the enemy.”

Moscow said it invaded Ukraine to “discredit” its neighbor and protect Russian speakers. Western opponents say the invasion is an imperial takeover of land in which tens of thousands have been killed, millions uprooted and cities turned into ruins.

Russia said it was open to resuming peace talks with Kiev, which stalled a few months after Russia invaded it, and welcomed mediation efforts from Brazil and China.

But a top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Kiev peace plan, which envisages a complete withdrawal of Russian forces, is the only way to end the war. He said the time for mediation efforts is over.

“There can be no Brazilian peace plan, Chinese peace plan or South African peace plan when you talk about the war in Ukraine,” senior diplomatic adviser Ihor Zovkva told Reuters in an interview late Friday.

Call for the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

Mykhailo Podolyak, an aide to Zelensky, wrote on Twitter that any post-war settlement must include a demilitarized zone 100-120 kilometers (62-75 miles) inside Russia along the border.

The European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said on Monday that he believed Russia would not want to negotiate while it was still trying to win the war.

The Ukrainian military said an attack on the port of Odessa caused a fire and damaged infrastructure, but did not say whether the damage threatened grain exports.

Ukraine is a major global supplier of grain and the port is vital for shipping. It is also one of three countries in a UN-brokered agreement on the safe export of grain through the Black Sea.

Russia said on Monday that the grain deal would not take effect unless a United Nations agreement with Moscow is met to overcome obstacles to Russian grain and fertilizer exports.

Moscow this month reluctantly agreed to extend the grain deal until July 17.

Kiev says that after months of attacks on energy facilities, Russia is now targeting military installations and supplies in an effort to disrupt Ukraine’s preparations for its counterattack.

Moscow says Ukraine has stepped up its drone attacks and sabotage of targets inside Russia as it prepares to attack.

The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, said that several border settlements were simultaneously bombed by Ukrainian forces on Monday. Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on Telegram that two industrial facilities were bombed in the town of Shchebykino, and four employees were injured.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine and Reuters was unable to independently verify reports of the scale of attacks on either side.

Additional reporting by Olenna Harmash, Pavel Politik and Lydia Kelly; Writing by Timothy Heritage, Philippa Fletcher, and Nick McPhee; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Ron Popeski

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